In video given to WBZ, the driver appears to be holding her phone with one hand and driving with the other. She’s also seen going through her purse and glancing at the phone in other videos. School officials say she was only checking to see what time it is.

One parent told WBZ that her children have seen the driver using the phone behind the wheel for weeks. The kids secretly recorded her on camera phone and flip camera.

A spokeswoman for Durham refused to tell WBZ if they have a policy explicitly forbidding drivers from using personal phones on school buses.

One Comment

Give me a break. If a T employee is caught on a phone the lose their job. But it is ok for a School Bus driver to use her phone “to check the time”. What about her rummaging through her pocket book while she was driving. Was she looking for her watch? What ever happened to TWO HANDS on the wheel at all times…..

How is it “inconclusive”? Look at her records. The people doing the investigating do realize call data includes DATES & TIMES, right? Was she using the phone during the time she’s supposed to be driving? Yes? She’s guilty. No? Then she’s okay. Inconclusive isn’t an answer.

Why is that the older I get, the more people I see in need a slap to the back of the head?

I personally complained about this very bus driver for over a year when my child was in elementary school, she is dangerous and Oxford is very lucky noone has ever been hurt on her bus, actually its a miracle, kids stand, hang out windows, she drives off before they are seated, the kids are unruly, she misses stops, all my complaints fell on deaf ears it was infuriating!!!! This driver was doing something illegal….ILLEGAL and she is still driving. Oxford should be ashamed.

It is not illegal to check the time. In fact, they are required to know if the bus is going to be late and call in. Again, check the phone records. If she was texting or even calling, it would be on there. As for kids standing and being unruly, they’re your kids, shouldn’t you teach them NOT to stand on the bus or hang out the windows? What’s happened where parents are no longer responsible for anything their kids do anymore?

My family has been exposed to this driver for 8 years. She had issues with my oldest child and took it upon herself to reprimand him. After numerous complaints from my son about the bus driver, we contacted the bus company. Only to get the response “I’ve known ___ for years, she’s my friend she would never do something like that.” Okay I said, lets just finish the year out and move on. Then my next child is ready for school. We prayed the bus routes would be different, no luck. My daughter is now telling us how she goes really fast and she almost got in an accident today. She doesn’t wait for me to be seated before she moves the bus. She’ll acknowledge students , say hi and ask them how vacation was, but completely ignore my daughter not even look at her. My daughter asked me, “did I do something wrong to her Mommy?” I told her no just don’t even let her bother you. But I know she is holding a grudge against us for speaking up. It’s not fare to my daughter and it’s not going to be fare to my youngest child starting kindergarten in September.

OMG…I have had nothing BUT issues with this driver, Val! and when I submitted my valid complpaints, the Oxford School system supported HER and not my child! I was also told that MY comlpaint was the 1st in all the years this woman was a bus driver…I later found out this was NOT the case! With no support from bus co/Laidlaw at the time-and no support from the school system, i gave up and basically told my daughter the same…do not let her bother you-ignore her. My child was in elementary school at the time so a younger child and could not understand why this woman was so mean to her. Val should NOT be a bus driver…at least not for little kids! Thank God my child deos not have to encounter this retched woman any longer! IApparently it will take a tradgedy for bus co or school system to do anything about her!

as a school bus driver myself, i can tell you that time is the most important aside from safety.. i always, everyday, at everystop checked my cell for time.. not my different from checking a watch.. people need to chill… 34 years of safe delivery.. this bus driver was my bus driver in 1987.. here i am.. safe.. and a bus driver myself..relax people

she is moving while she’s grabbing and using her phone! big difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And just because you are ‘safe’ makes it okay? She didn’t have a cell phone back then to endanger the lives of the children otherwise you may not even be here to write on this blog!

Bus drivers have always taken off before kids get seated so that’s nothing new , yet you’d rather complain about that rather than why are there no seat belts on a vehicle full of kids in a state with seat belt laws . Some are to quick to believe their childs side of the story when they say I didn’t do anything wrong mommy , I’m sure she wouldn’t take it upon herself to reprimand a student if they weren’t doing anything wrong . If there are people out there who think they are the perfect driver with both hands on the wheel then you must have been the one out of fifty cars I passed yesterday who’s ear wasn’t stuck to your cell phone like you couldn’t live without it . I don’t know her other than she has been my kids bus driver for 5 years , shes driven the kids home in snowy and rainy conditions and never been in an accident , how many of you can claim that with just your own kids in the back seat never mind a full bus load of I wont even fill in the adjectives . So do me a favor and put yourself in her shoes before you line up to demand her job , kids exaggerate , kids lie to protect themselves . I believe that she was checking the time and maybe I’ll buy her a clock she can stick to the dash so she doesn’t have to look at her cell , while we’re checking her phone records maybe we should check the records of the students with the phones who taped this and see how often they’re texting during school , another thing I’d never let my kid do . I could go on forever about the complaints on this story but I’m done , relax , breath and look in the mirror before you point the finger .

I just read up on the recent Oak Hill, Ohio case where the bus driver was fired! At least that town knows the law and has taken action! Using your phone while driving children on a school bus is illegal and child endangerment! There have been many parent complaints regarding this Oxford bus driver for years that fell on deaf ears! Proud of this mom and her children for making a stand for the safety of the children and everyone else on the road around her! Too bad their system has failed -yet again- another Oxford parent!

I also drive a school bus,and every bus has 8 mirrors on it that we are surppose to check every 8 seconds. The number one thing is never move that bus with out checking to see if if all the kids are sitting down, than looking to make sure your danger zones are clear. I also have a cell phone with me,but i have a stick-on clock at eye lever of the time. She has driven long enough to know better.

If a person is responsible for a carload of children – then they shouldn’t be using their phone to text, drive or check the time. I will gladly purchase her a digital clock that she can stick on her dashboard so she can do so. I believe we will ALL be safer.

Laurie- You are the 9th parent of bus #3 come forward and tell me their similar stories of the school and bus co. not investigating valid complaints for years, including me! After 5 weeks of me contacting the bus co. for a resolution of her using her phone while driving the bus, they completely stopped returning my calls/emails. I felt I had no choice but to tell the media my story in hopes that I could make a change! This whole experience has been very heart breaking! I grew up in this town and wanted my children too also. But after finding out how serious concerns regarding children are not addresses properly, I really have concerns!